Doc Reviews in Resources on DFGDocs – The British Documentary Website

Tell Them Who You Are An intimate and witty portrait of legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler
by Kerry McLeod

The 10th District Court: Moments of Trial Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Raymond Depardon's latest film
by Kerry McLeod

The Cave of the Yellow Dog The second feature from the director of The Story of the Weeping Camel.
by Kerry McLeod

A Lion in the House A compelling look at the experiences of five children undergoing treatment for cancer.
by Jaya Jiwatram

Profils Paysans 2: Le Quotidien (Profiles of Farmers 2: Daily Life) The second film on French farmers from award-winning photographer Raymond Depardon
by Rosie Saunders

Sisters in Law Kim Longinotto's latest award-winning film, set in a women's court in Cameroon.
by Jaya Jiwatram

Black Gold Receiving its UK premiere at this year's London Film Festival, this highly recommended doc unveils the exploitation behind our daily cup...
by Kerry McLeod

The Bridge A challenging documentary exploring the world's number one suicide location: San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
by Rosie Saunders

37 Uses for a Dead Sheep Ben Hopkins' semi-comic portrait of the Pamir Kirghiz tribe, and their journey from the remote Pamir mountains to modern-day Turkey.
by Kerry McLeod

Deep Water Deep Water presents the incredible and tragic story of Donald Crowhurst a competitor in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Sailing Race: the challenge to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe.
by Kerry McLeod

Paris is Burning A thought- provoking and invigorating journey into the world of the famous drag queens of New York in the early nineties.
by Purnima Raghunath

My Name is Albert Ayler Portrait of an Artist as a free jazz saxophonist
by Philip Moore

War Feels Like War A compelling account of the brutalities of 21st Century war, told through the eyes of independent journalists in Iraq in the first days of the conflict. by Philip Moore

Hacking Democracy An engaging work of investigative reporting that asks: if a safe vote cannot be counted on, then can democracy be counted on? by Duncan McDowall

Žižek! Part bumbling clown and part mad professor, Žižek has been dubbed the 'Elvis of cultural theory', and this documentary certainly proves the zany philosopher has a whole lotta something going on. by Clare Stronge

Rain In My Heart Acclaimed filmmaker Paul Watson's ruthlessly honest and exceptionally intimate film about end-stage alcoholism.
by Christiaan Harden

The Making of a Film Idol In 2003, two men launched Film Idol, a nationwide talent search for a gangster flick. This film takes us from the project's ill conceived beginnings right through to its end: a mess of incompetence, lies and poor management.
by David Paul Nixon

Taking Liberties Taking Liberties is Britain’s answer to Farenheit 9/11 according to its promoters, and there’s a lot of merit in this comparison. But don’t expect to see a loud bearded man chasing after the bad guys. For this is an essentially and brilliantly British film – and an important one to watch. by Jenny Saunders

The War on Democracy Described by John Pilger as probably the most positive film he has ever made, The War on Democracy provides both a timely exposé of Washington’s disregard for democracy in post-war Latin America and an affectionate portrait of the continent’s nascent social movements.
by Christiaan Harden

The Ghosts of Cité Soleil Set in the slums of Haiti’s capital Port au Prince, the film is an intimate tale of two brothers, gang leaders and rivals, told on an epic scale during the lead up to, and aftermath of, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s departure in 2004.
by Kerry McLeod

I For India A chronicle of immigration in sixties Britain, seen through two Super 8 cameras
by Maite Alvarez

Running Stumbled Twenty-nine years after filmmaker John Maringouin was whisked away from the father who apparently tried to kill him in utero, the son returns to New Orleans for a family reunion of the most dysfunctional kind.
by Claire Fowler

Manufacturing Dissent Provocative and thoughtful, Manufacturing Dissent provides a measured and welcomed alternative to the myriad of right-wing anti-Moore polemics. by Christiaan Harden

Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines Ever wondered where the air you’re breathing on the plane actually comes from? Directed and produced by ex-commercial pilot Tristan Loraine, this film will give you a genuine fear of flying.
by Christiaan Harden

In the Shadow of the Moon Space, an historical era and the warm small of nostalgia: something of a magic formula for documentary.
by Kerry McLeod

Sicko Michael Moore has done it again with his attack on the American healthcare system. Yet Sicko is ever so slightly subtler than his previous work, and better for it.
by Kerry McLeod

In Prison My Whole Life The personal is the political once again in this powerful film about America’s most well known death row inmate Mumia Abu Jamal. by Phil Moore

Karaoke Soul A moving look at the private lives of pub karaoke singers. by Liam Tullberg

Jesus Camp An abrasive insight into the lives of Evangelical Christians in the States.
by Zoë Morgan Chiswick

The Unforeseen A poetically realised documentary about the battle over Barton Springs, a natural treasure enjoyed by the residents of a Texan city and the threat to it from property developers.
by Phil Moore

Helvetica Like the font, this is a very elegant and confident film offering a peep into the passionate and slightly obsessed world of design and typography.
by Monika Baker

Our Daily Bread Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s extraordinary documentary is both a formally bold and politically subtle film about contemporary Europe’s vast agricultural/industrial achievement. by Phil Moore

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens A raw, compelling, and most of all inspiring film, which turns the lens 180 degrees around, to look at the life of celebrated the American photographer.
by Michael Clarke

We Are Together Music takes centre stage in this poignant story about the orphans of Agape children’s home in South Africa.
by Ellie Bramley

A Great Master Recaptured This film gives us an informative look into the culture of Beijing opera and Mei LanFang whose emotive and exquisite hand movements that Brecht called his “finger-acting” earned him a place as one of the most famous Beijing opera artists in modern history. by Ellie Bramley

Tovarisch: I Am Not Dead A fascinating human story about an enigmatic man that deserves its place amongst similar documentaries about the Second World War. by Leung Wing-Fai

Winter Soldier In a recent Observer article, Nick Fraser of BBC’s Storyville discusses whether documentary truly has the power to effect change in the world. This is a fairly tall order for film, but if any could address current attitudes towards war, then it is perhaps Winter Soldier... by Claire Fowler

The English Surgeon Neuro-surgery will always be a very risky business. But, when you’re operating in the Ukraine with make-shift tools from a local market and a cordless Bosch drill, the risks are ‘100 times as great’...
by Christiaan Harden

Garbage Warrior A powerful and emotive film about what starts out as a one-man mission: the Garbage Warrior builds up a following of misfits and gains notoriety, coming up against hurdle after hurdle in his plight to build sustainable and self-sufficient housing and ultimately help save the planet. by Ellie Bramley

Man on Wire A documentary that feels like a heist-thriller, retelling the story of Frenchman Philippe Petit's clandestine high-wire act on the World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974.
by Duncan McDowall

Her Name is Sabine Her Name Is Sabine is French actress Sandrine Bonnaire’s beautiful portrait of her younger sister Sabine who, at 28, was institutionalized for five years. by Meghan Horvath

My Winnipeg Standing confidently in a genre of its own, My Winnipeg sweeps us on a whirlwind journey into the core of Guy Maddin’s frenetic creative genius.
by Rita Ribas

Britdocs

Doc Reviews

Resource Categories

In this category:

Britdocs